Amateur radio licensing is managed by the Federal Communications Commision (FCC). Being licensed means that your name is listed in the FCC Universal Licensing System with an associated ham radio callsign.

Have a valid Taxpayer Identification Number

US citizens have a Social Security Number (SSN) and this qualifies. Are you concerned about giving our your SSN to someone you don't know? Get an FCC Registration Number and give that to them instead!

Have a valid mailing address

Probably a no-brainer, but you need to be able to provide an address where the FCC can contact you. This is where your license will be sent, and if they try to contact you here and can't your license could be revoked.

Pass a written exam

There are three license classes in ham radio. In order they are: Technician (Element 2), General (Element 3), and Amateur Extra (Element 4). Each has an associated written examination that you must pass to earn your amateur radio license.

The questions for these tests come from a publicly available question pool. To study these questions, click the one you want to study at the top of this page. If you're new to ham radio, start with Technician.

To find an examination session, do a google search for "Ham Radio Exam" and your area. For example, to find ham radio exams in Utah County, google "Ham Radio Exam Utah County". There is typically a fee of around $15 to cover examination costs and you will need to bring two forms of government-issued ID with you.